Transmission comes as close to being archetypal Joy Division as any track in their incredibly strong but tragically brief discography. Released as a single between their two albums, Unknown Pleasures in 1979 and Closer in 1980, it’s dramatic, captivating, claustrophobic and with the palpable sense of threat that this unique band were capable of conjuring up at will.
Like all Joy Division songs, Transmission is haunted by the ghost of Ian Curtis. The depth of his lyrics is matched by the sincerity and desperation in his voice. He was just 22 when it was recorded, but with his deep, mournful enunciation he sounds much older. Much wearier.
And we would go on as though nothing was wrong
And hide from these days we remained all alone
Staying in the same place, just staying out the time
Touching from a distance
Further all the time
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
The intensity of Curtis’s delivery is supported by the inspired performances of the rest of the band. Stephen Morris’s incredible, rapid-fire, hi-hat focused percussion overflows with energy. His strange, hypnotic, high-octane drumming creating the space that allows the other musicians to express themselves.
Given this freedom, Bernard Sumner embellishes the track by picking out a series of simple, restrained but effective guitar phrases and two-chord riffs, complementing Curtis’s vocals, never competing with them.
The track is underpinned by a classic Peter Hook bassline; simple, staccato and mesmerising. To this day, Hook is still struck by Transmission’s power and credits the song as a turning point in the development of Joy Divison.
“The first time I noticed anything different was when we’d written a song that weekend. And we had a gig on the Thursday, so we thought we’d play that song at the gig,
“We played the new song, which was Transmission – and everyone in the whole place stopped literally what they were doing to listen and to turn round and watch us. It was an absolutely bizarre moment. It really made the hair on your arms stand up and shivers down your spine.”
“I realised that was our first great song”
And it is a great song. Affecting, unsettling, electrifying and beautiful; it’s perfection.
